During The White Stripes' 2025 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Jack White referred to his former bandmate and ex-wife Meg White as "sister." This quickly raised questions about the two's relationship, which has always been a mystery for many all these years.Meg White and Jack White of The White Stripes. (Image via X/@albumism)One of the key bands of the early 2000s garage rock renaissance, The White Stripes was founded in Detroit in 1997. However, Jack and Meg White manipulated public opinion from the beginning. According to Far Out Magazine, Jack, who was then known as John Gillis, was a frequent customer at Meg's café, where she worked as a barista. Soon after, they started dating, got married in 1996, and Jack adopted Meg's last name to become "Jack White."As the band started getting famous, the rock couple started portraying themselves to the public as brother and sister rather than husband and wife. Jack subsequently acknowledged that the deception was intentional, a creative choice intended to divert attention from their romance and onto the music. Jack even introduced Meg White on stage as his “big sister.”Jack White explained why he and Meg White maintained the sibling fačade: “When you see a band that is two pieces, husband and wife, boyfriend and girlfriend, you think, ‘Oh, I see…’ When they’re brother and sister, you go, ‘Oh, that’s interesting.’” He continued:“You care more about the music, not the relationship—whether they’re trying to save their relationship by being in a band.”The band is known for their simple stage style with matching red, white, and black outfits and their insistence on giving interviews together and their obsession with the number 3 all contributed to the band's success. They maintained the sibling fačade even after their divorce in 2000 by performing together as The White Stripes.Jack White's tribute to Meg WhiteAt the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony at Los Angeles' Peacock Theater, The White Stripes were inducted by Michigan legend Iggy Pop. He began the induction speech by singing the guitar riff from the band's hit Seven Nation Army. He started by talking about Meg White, the punk godfather said:“Meg White had the most genuine and charming smile. She played the drums for the benefit of her band. She gave the drum kit a good whack. I think it was Meg’s support that helped launch the rocket of racket that was Jack White.”Then he spoke about Jack:“Jack could screech like an owl. He could twang like a hillbilly. But he could also write. I hear the echoes of The Who, The Small Faces, The Beatles… in Jack’s playing. The writing he was capable of was not typical of of the great Detroit bands of the 60s and 70s.”Meg White, who has mostly avoided the spotlight since the band's 2011 split, was not present at the event. Jack White addressed her absence and read a statement from her to fans, accepting the honor:“I spoke with Meg White the other day, and she said that she’s very sorry she couldn’t make it here tonight, but she wanted me to tell you that she’s very grateful. And to all of the folks who supported her in all the years, it really means a lot to her. She also helped me write all this… I sent these things to her. She checked it for me for a lot of punctuation and corrections. She’s pretty good at that.”He continued:“She said, ‘Do you remember, Jack? We used to walk around and animals, for some reason, would stare at us. They would stop and stare at us for some reason. Even at the Detroit Zoo, an elephant did the exact same thing one time.’ She just wanted me to tell you that.”As Jack spoke, he went on to list and thank the people who inspired him and the band and shared advice for up-and-coming artists. He then ended the speech with a parable, which he wanted to send as a text to Meg White:“One time a girl climbed a tree and in that tree was a boy, her brother, she thought, and the tree looked so glorious and beautiful, but it was just an oak tree. And these two so loved the world that they brought forth a parade float, one they built in their garage behind the oak tree with their own bare hands. And the boy looked at this giant peppermint on the wheels and felt pride."He continued with his parable:"Pride that it was produced in the Motor City, just like in the big factories, but it was just in their garage. He looked at the girl, his sister, he thought, and like the Little Rascals, they said, ‘Let’s put on a show.’ And they paraded this float through the Cass corridor, standing atop the peppermint pulled by white horses, or maybe it was a RedVanLines van. And many of the blocks they traveled were empty, but some had people. And some of those people cheered, and some laughed, and some even threw stones."He went on to add:“And with their bare hands, the two started to clap and sing and make up songs. And some people kept watching and swaying and moving. And then one person even smiled. And the boy and the girl looked at each other and they also smiled and they both felt the sin of pride, but they kept on smiling. Smiling from a new freedom, knowing that they had shared and made another person feel something. And they felt the person smiling at them was a stranger. So they didn’t even know. But it wasn’t just a stranger, it was God.”He concluded with:“My sister thanks you and I thank you.”According to Far Out Magazine, Jack and Meg White were married from 1996 until their divorce in 2000, years before they reached international stardom. It was their 2003 hit titled Seven Nation Army that made them famous. An anthem which is still sung today in pubs and in football stadiums all around the world. Before disbanding, the duo stuck with each other and continued making songs till 2011. Stay tuned to Soap Central for more information.